Giant isopod

Giant isopods are large marine isopods in the genus Bathynomus. They are bottom-dwelling deep-sea scavengers that are abundant in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans. Bathynomus giganteus, the species upon which the generitype is based, is often considered the largest isopod in the world, though other comparably poorly known species of Bathynomus may reach similar sizes. Giant isopods are noted for their resemblance to the much smaller terrestrial woodlice, to which they are related. French zoologist Alphonse Milne-Edwards was the first to describe the genus in 1879 after his colleague Alexander Agassiz collected a juvenile male B. giganteus from the Gulf of Mexico. This was an exciting discovery for both scientists and the public, as at the time the idea of a lifeless or "azoic" deep ocean had only recently been refuted by the work of Sir Charles Wyville Thomson and others. No females were recovered until 1891.